Ashes A Cinderella Tale
by QuinntheEskimo
Summary: Summary- A wicked stepmother. An evil stepbrother. An unlikely prince. And twin brothers, caught in a web of abuse, deceit, fear and hate. AU, Rated M for good reason. Not for the fainthearted.
1. Prologue The Hearth Dying

Ashes: A Cinderella Tale.

Summary- A wicked stepmother. An evil stepbrother. An unlikely prince. And twin brothers, caught in a web of abuse, deceit, fear and hate. AU, Rated M for good reason. Not for the fainthearted.

Prologue- The Hearth Dying

AN- so I know the Cinderella thing has been done a million and one times, but... I couldn't help it. I really just wanted to write this story. So here it is. Its a little bit rougher, a little more violent than the old fairy tale your used to, though. I was inspired by a whole lot of Five Finger Death Punch. The American Capitalist album. If that tells you anything.

And I know what you're saying. "Quinn, are you crazy? Two chaptered fics at once? With a new job, too?" (at least, in my head, you guys ask me these things. I'm sure you probably don't care...) but to answer, well... the muse bit me. Hard. I cant resist. I've been writing like crazy.

Warnings- Violence, Rape, Drug and Alcohol Abuse, Yaoi, Yuri. Pretty much the works here, kiddies. This definitely ain't yo mammas bedtime tale.

Enjoy!

QuinntheEskimo

…...

For a very short time in my life, everything was perfect. My brothers and I were happy, our father was doing well in his career, and we wanted for nothing.

Even at eleven years old, I should have know that perfect doesn't last.

When Sephiroth adopted Cloud, Ventus and I, we were shocked. The three of us had been taken from our parents when Ven and I were a year and a half, and Cloud was three. Ven and I were too young to remember our birth parents, but Cloud could remember bits and pieces. All he would ever tell us is that we were better of in the foster care system than with them. For years, we were bounced around from home to home, separated at times, yet we always managed to be reunited. But we always figured that on the odd chance that one of was adopted, we wouldn't be kept together. It was a miracle we had stayed together this long, a miracle brought about by our amazing caseworker, Aerith, who really hated to see us parted. So naturally, when this stoic silver-haired man came to us, and told us we were going to live together, with him, from now on, we were ecstatic.

Sephiroth wasn't the easiest man to live with, mostly because, being a military man, he expected everything done neatly and precisely. It was tough getting used to that strict lifestyle. But he was a good man, and he cared a lot about the three of us. We had everything we could have asked for and more, and we had a stable home for the first time in our lives. Sephiroth easily became our father in all but blood.

And for three years, everything was right in my world.

But then things started to change. Dad started seeing a woman named Larxene. Cloud hated her and Ven and I weren't exactly her biggest fans either. She was polite enough, but she always seemed so cold, so uncaring. But Dad loved her. So we did our best to get along with her, if only for his sake. She also brought with her her own son, Vanitas. He was a year older than Ven and I, and very quiet, only ever deigning to speak to us when he had something rude to say, despite our efforts to get along with him. After a while, we just quit trying and ignored him, which seemed to suit him just fine.

Dad and Larxene were married shortly after Ven's and my eleventh birthday. We were dads groomsmen. We'd never seen our rather stoic dad smile so much in one day.

Larxene barely smiled, and when she did, it looked plastic. Vanitas didn't even come to the ceremony. I guess that should have told us something... but we never could have expected what was to come.

About three months after the wedding, Dad was called back into active duty. He was stationed halfway across the globe, and rarely got leave to come visit home.

It was then that we started to learn what Larxene and Vanitas was really like. She would go out constantly when dad wasn't around, sometimes wouldn't come back till the wee hours of the morning, sometimes not at all. She would go on shopping sprees, bringing home piles of clothes and shoes, go to salons regularly... which we didn't much care about. She could do what she wanted. It wasn't like dad didn't have the money.

But soon, she was ordering us about. She fired the maid that came over every week, fired the gardener. She wanted everything done for her, and she wanted all the money to herself. I guess the solution was easy for her.

Vanitas, on the other hand, became very... involved in what we did. He would follow us constantly, especially Ven. He constantly belittled Ven, his little barbs carefully crafted to take down his self confidence

Then dad died in the line of duty. His unit was in a skirmish, and he died saving some civilians caught in the crossfire. Ven and Cloud and I were torn to pieces. The one person who always loved us, had taken us in... was gone. He was given a heroes funeral, and a few medals.

But that didn't bring our dad back.

And while the three of us were falling apart... Larxene was reveling. Dad had taken out large life insurance policies to make sure we were cared for. So all of a sudden, she had all kinds of money, and no husband to be beholden to. She had ultimate freedom. And she took totally advantage of it.

She was gone even more often, and when she came back, she was usually drunk, or stoned, or a combination of the two. We didn't like it, but we could deal. But it was when she started bringing men over to the house on a regular basis that Cloud decided to confront her.

I remember all the screaming, my ear pressed to the wall in the next room, because Cloud had made Ven and I leave before he said a word. She told him that she was stuck with us, she was gonna do things her own way. We were nothing but a burden to her, and she could give us back to the state, she would in a second. But Dad's will specifically said that she was in charge of us. We were trapped here as much as she was, but she'd be damned if she had to suffer beside us. Cloud called her a stupid slut. She slapped him hard enough to leave a big angry bruise down the side of his face.

It was the first time she hit one of us... but not the last. After that night, being slapped around became a normal thing. Every time she was drunk, she would call one of us in for some abuse.

And for some reason, it was me she hated the most. None of us could figure it out. I guess its because of the three of us, I was the quietest, the one who was non-confrontational. None of us were terribly talkative, but I never really had much to say. Cloud and Ven would speak out against her, but even when she would hit me, I would say nothing. I think that angered her more than anything.

For the last five years, we've been living like this. Cloud was kicked out the minute he turned 18, so it was just me and Ven left here now, with Larxene and Vanitas. Larxene had, over the years, taken a special interest in making me absolutely miserable. As for Vanitas? He'd basically done the same with Ven. It was like it was his personal mission to torture my twin each and every day. And since Larxene had forbidden Cloud to contact us, he could do nothing.

We were seventeen now. If we could survive the last 7 months, we would be free of them forever.

But surviving was becoming harder and harder every day.

August 13th couldn't come fast enough.


	2. Chapter 1 Sparks Ablaze

Chapter 1: Sparks Ablaze

AN- The story starts here, guys. There will be some POV switches.

This story is a lot darker than anything I've written before. I honestly was not aware I could write stuff like this...

BTW, new jobs are a bitch. I'm basically running on Java Monster and cigarettes at this point. So don't hold your breath for updates,since I really don't want any of you dying on me.

Warnings- Abuse and foul language.

Disclaimers- not owned by me. I forgot that in the last chapter. Consider it disclaimed.

…...

Friday, February 3rd

Roxas' alarm went off promptly at seven. Another day to face.

His first action, as always, was to look to the daily countdown.

_191 days. that's all left between me and freedom. _

Getting ready for school was the scariest part of the day. Roxas could never be sure if Larxene was back, if she was still awake, if she was in the living room passed out, or in the kitchen, waiting for him... afternoons were okay, she was usually gone again by the time he got home from school... but mornings could be terrifying.

Roxas rolled out of bed, standing up and stretching, and then wincing. His ribs were sore, his muscles stiff. He carefully pulled off his sleep shirt, looking into the full length mirror on his closet door.

No wonder his ribs were sore.

His entire left side was a sickening purple-black, edged in yellow and green.

His latest 'fall down the stairs' had definitely left a mark.

Gingerly, he reached into the closet, pulling out a tee shirt and jeans. Throwing on a zip-up hoodie, just in case, he opened his bedroom door as quietly as he could, hoping to not attract attention before he got to his shower.

No such luck. Vanitas was already awake, and headed down the hall.

"Morning, ickle Roxykins!" he said in a sickeningly sweet voice.

The blonde said nothing. Roxas knew by now if he answered Vanitas, the black-haired boy tended to take it as a challenge.

Roxas was almost to the bathroom when Vanitas spoke again. "Tell Ventus I want to see him before you two leave for school, okay, Roxas?"

Roxas paused, nodded without turning to Vanitas, and then continued into the bathroom he shared with Ven, closing the door quickly behind him.

He pulled off his hoodie again, looking at the bruises again. They looked even worse in the brighter light, stretching from right under his armpit to the edge of his pajama bottoms.

"God damn, Roxas. Is that from last night?"

Roxas jumped a little, not having heard his twin enter the bathroom.

"Yeah..." Roxas said quietly.

Ven shook his head, looking Roxas dead in the eye. "You gotta start speaking up, Roxas. You know she only beats on you this much because you don't fight back." his twin admonished.

"Vanitas wants to talk to you before we leave." Roxas deadpanned.

The other boy flinched a little, but he said nothing more.

Roxas was worried about his twin. He didn't know everything about what went on between Ventus and Vanitas, but he knew his twin was scared of being alone with him. And the bruises Ven had come away with a few times? Roxas didn't blame him.

The twins were silent as they got ready for school.

…...

Ven was worried about his twin. Larxene's beatings were just getting worse, the closer they got to turning 18. She knew she was going to lose her control over him soon.

But Ventus also feared for himself sometimes.

Vanitas was... _insatiable_.

As they headed out of the house to walk to school, Vanitas spotted him. Ven had been hoping to avoid him, but no such luck. The black haired boy pulled him by the arm into the coat room and shut the door.

Immediately, Vanitas had his lips against Ven's, forcing him into a deep kiss.

Ven knew better than to refuse. He allowed it to happen, not exactly participating, but not pushing him away. Vanitas forced his tongue into Ven's mouth, exploring the blondes mouth. When he finally pulled away, Ventus gasped fro breath.

"Thought you could get away from me this morning, did you?" Vanitas asked silkily.

"I... I forgot..." Ventus mumbled.

Vanitas grinned maliciously. "Now, now, love, we both know that's a lie. And you know how I feel about lying..." he stroked one finger down Ven's jawline, and then grabbed him by his hair, pulling his face back roughly. "You're not going to forget again anytime soon, are you?" he phrased it as a question, but Ven knew better. It was a demand, and Vanitas expected to be obeyed.

"No..."

"No, what?"he breathed hot against the blondes throat, tugging viciously at his hair.

"No, Vanitas." he whimpered. He hated the power Vanitas had over him.

"Good." the black-haired boy grinned sadistically. "Now, when you get home from school, I expect you to be waiting for me in my room. No loitering around, blondie. Precisely at three thirty. that's when I'll be home, and I expect you to be there waiting for me."

Ventus glared. "Yes, Vanitas."

The golden-eyed boy let go of his hair, and Ventus escaped from the coat room. He caught up with Roxas, who was waiting for him outside the front door.

"You okay?" his twin asked quietly.

Ven bit his lip. "I'm fine. Lets get to school."

Roxas looked worried, but Ven couldn't tell Roxas what was going on. Roxas would be disgusted.

Nobody could ever know what was happening between him and Vanitas.

_191 days until we escape this hell._

…...

School was an escape. Seven hours of freedom. Even more tonight, since he had a meeting with Miss Heartilly tonight about running the lights and sound for the upcoming choir performance.

Roxas had been running the light and sound booth since freshman year. He'd been looking for something he could do after school, that could keep him out of the house, where he wouldn't have to interact with people. What better than sitting alone in a booth above peoples heads? Plus, Miss Heartilly was really nice, and didn't ask a lot of questions.

At 7:45, he met up with his best friends, Hayner, Pence, Namine, and Olette. The five of them had banded together over the years, being the outcasts of their grade. Pence was the awkward geek, Olette was the nerdy gamer girl, Hayner was the troublemaker, Namine was the lesbian artist, and Roxas was the painfully shy theater rat. They'd come together out of mutual fear of being alone, and had become closer friends than any of them had expected.

"Hey, Roxas!" Namine said brightly. "How are ya doing today?"

"I'm fine." Roxas said quietly.

Olette looked at him worriedly. "You sure? You're limping a little bit, hon. Are you okay?"

_Shit._

"I... I fell down the stairs... tripped over a shoe..." Roxas mumbled.

Namine looked concerned. "Roxas, you have to be more careful! Your going to really hurt yourself one of these days!"

"I know..." the blonde boy looked at his shoes. _Just once, will anyone ever question my lies? Disbelieve that I can really be that clumsy?_

But everyone took his lies at face value. No one questioned him.

It was just another day.

…...

"Ven, are you okay?" Aqua asked, concerned.

Ven jolted back to his friends; he'd been staring off into space again. "Yeah, I'm fine. Just got a lot on my mind, is all."

Terra grinned. "I know, man. All this college shit's a pain in the ass, right?" the taller boy punched Ven in the shoulder playfully. "Hey, you wanna hang tonight? My folks are gone, which means I've got the big-screen in the living room to hook up the xbox."

Ven shook his head. "No, man, I got stuff to do after school. Gotta study for Vexen's big test on Monday, dude." _More like fight not to lose whats left of my pride to Vanitas, but hey, they don't need to know that._

"Come on, dude! You got all weekend! Why don't you take off tonight, and-"

"Terra, shut up." Aqua interrupted. "If he wants to study tonight, let it go, okay? You have all weekend..." she grinned. "Besides, if we wait till Saturday, I can come over too. I gotta work tonight."

_Aqua, you're a freaking lifesaver..._Ven thought in relief.

He knew Aqua suspected there was more going on at home then he let on. But neither he nor Roxas let anybody know the truth.

They'd tried that once. It hadn't ended well.

More specifically, it ended with Larxene being pissed that the authorities were being called on her, and breaking Roxas' nose and two of his ribs.

They'd never called the cops again.

"Earth to Ventus!" Terra called. Ven snapped out of his reverie.

"Dude, you're out of it today. We gonna head to class, or what?" he asked.

Ven shook his head to clear it. "Yeah, man, lets go. Sorry, I'm just stressed out."

"No worries man. Just don't let shit get to you, okay?" he paused. "You know I'll help you out if you need though, right Ven? You just gotta say the word."

Ven smiled. "I know, Terra. I appreciate it."

_Such a good guy, a good friend... if he knew what Vanitas does to me... what I let him do... he'd never look at me again._

…...

By the Roxas and his group met up again at lunch, the whole school was abuzz with gossip.

"_There's a whole group of new kids. From Hollow Bastion. And they're hot."_

"_They got kicked out of their last school!"_

"_They're in the witness protection program!"_

"_Who the hell cares, they're hot!"_

There was four of them. A tall redheaded boy, an emo looking guy, a tall girl with pink hair, and a black-haired girl. They entered the cafeteria together. They sat at a table in the back, ignoring the inviting stares of everyone they walked by.

The table they sat at, coincidentally, was right beside the one Roxas and his friends had claimed as their own.

Apparently, they were not aware of the social hierarchy of the cafeteria. The pretty people sat in the _front._

Only the freaks sat back here.

Even Ven, Roxas's own twin, didn't sit this far back. He was an athlete. He was middle of the cafeteria special.

So Roxas and the others were not prepared for the train of popular kids coming back here to meet them.

First it was Sora and his followers. Riku and Kairi were attached to him, but it was Sora that led. He was the class president, the self-appointed welcoming committee, and one of the most obnoxiously happy people Roxas had ever met.

Seeing him get shot down was good for Roxas' soul.

It started out normally enough, Sora bouncing over to the table excitedly. "hi! I hear you guys are new here. I'm Sora, and I'm the senior class president, and this is Riku and Kairi, and we're just so-"

"You know, kid, I really don't give a shit. Why don't you take your pep squad back up front and leave us the hell alone?" the redhead said blandly.

Sora just stopped dead, gaping. "But, I just..."

the pink haired girl smirked. "Beat it, kid, we don't care. We just wanna eat in peace."

Sora blinked a few times, and then he teared up. He turned away and practically ran out of the cafeteria. Kairi chased after him, and after giving them a nasty glare, Riku did too.

Hayner sniggered into his pizza. The rest of Roxas' friends were just amazed at the gall.

Next up was Seifer and his buddies. It went exactly the same, except Seifer didn't cry. He just glared and walked away.

This time, Pence and Olette were giggling, too.

Finally, it was Demyx. Dem was a nice guy, but he was kind of a moron sometimes. When the redhead started in on him, he just didn't get it. It wasn't until the pink haired girl started spelling it out that they "_weren't interested in his god damn marching band or his 1980's mullet, so go the fuck home_" did Demyx finally get it.

The look on Demyx's face was priceless.

By this time, even shy Namine was laughing, and Roxas had cracked a smile.

The redhead looked over at them for the first time. "Amused, are you?" he asked languidly.

Hayner grinned. "Its nice to see the people on top get taken down every once in a while."

The pink-haired girl grinned. "Ain't that the damn truth." she turned to Axel for a second, and they seemed to communicate something without speaking.

The girl turned back and said, "My names Lumaria. This is Axel, that sleepyhead over there is Zexion, and the artist here is Xion. Who are you guys?"

"I'm Hayner."

"Pence."

"I'm Olette. Its nice to meet you!"

"I'm Namine, and this is Roxas."

Roxas stayed silent through the whole exchange, staring into his tray. The others talked animatedly, but Roxas was paralyzed in his shyness. He just didn't do well meeting new people. Especially in groups. He was seriously contemplating just escaping altogether and leaving the cafeteria...

"So you're Roxas? How come you need others to introduce you?" a voice asked from beside him.

Roxas jumped six inches in the air and let out an 'eep!' of fear.

The redhead, Axel, jolted a bit too. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to startle you."

"Its... its okay..." Roxas practically whispered.

Axel smiled kindly. "Too many people here for you, huh?"

Roxas blinked a couple times, then nodded slowly.

"We still have twenty five minutes. You wanna walk in the courtyard with me for a bit? Get some air?" Axel asked softly.

Roxas looked up and nodded. Axel stood up, jostling Roxas' bruised side in the process. Roxas hissed with pain.

"Are you okay?"Axel asked, worriedly.

Roxas looked away. "Yeah... fell down the stairs last night..."

Axel gave him a disbelieving look. "Do you fall down stairs often, Roxas?"

Roxas said nothing, just stood up with his tray, and headed towards the front of the cafeteria. He dumped his untouched food in the garbage, and headed out the door, without looking back.

By the time he got outside, he was almost hyperventilating.

_He can't know. Why is he asking? I can't tell anyone, if the cops get called again, Larxene will kill me this time, last time was bad enough plus, what about Ven? And our inheritance from Dad? If we get tossed in the system again, we could lose it all, we could get split up, and if the cops don't take it seriously again, Larxene'll kill me for sure, I gotta get away, this guy can't know, I gotta-_

"Roxas?"

The blonde stopped dead. He was in the courtyard now, headed toward the trees that led away from school grounds.

"Roxas, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to push. I just... I've seen this before."

Axel stepped closer. Roxas didn't turn around, but he didn't bolt, either.

"Please, Roxas... I don't wanna scare you off. I just... I just want to get to know you. Can you give me a second chance?"

Roxas was silent for a minute.

"...Yeah."

Roxas turned a bit, just enough hat he could see the gangly redhead in his peripheral vision. Axel stepped forward, so that he was level with the blonde.

"I just wanna get to know you, Roxas. I promise, I'll try to not ask you questions like that until your ready to answer, okay?" Axel's voice was gentle.

Roxas blinked at him for a second. "...why?" he asked quietly.

Axel grinned. "Because, Roxy, your cute, and you seem like the type I could get along with, if I can get past your shell. Plus, someone told me you run lights and sound for the school productions. And I kinda wanted to know I you wanted an assistant."

"An... an assistant?"

Axel's smile broadened. "Yeah! Like, your still in charge, but I'll help you out? Cause I used to that stuff at my old school. And I figure an extra pair of hands is always good."

Roxas smiled faintly. "Usually... usually I have Nami help me. But she hates it. She only does it cause she feels bad, and no one else... no one else wants to bother. so... an assistant would be... nice." the blonde stuttered out.

"Well this sounds like the start of a beautiful friendship." the red head said enthusiastically.

Roxas nodded. "I have a meeting tonight after school... with the thespians club... do you want to go, and talk to Miss Heartilly with me?" Roxas asked.

"Sounds like a plan, Roxy. I'll meet you there!" Axel held out a hand, and Roxas shook it tentatively.

_An assistant... a new friend...who knows, but he wont ask... this day just officially got better. Maybe 191 days isn't so long after all..._

…...

when Ven had seen his brother all but run from the cafeteria at lunch today, he had immediately stood up to follow him. But Terra had put a hand on his shoulder.

"wait a second."

Ven followed his friends pointing finger to see the new kid, the gangly redhead, follow immediatley after him. Guy looked genuinely upset, worried almost.

Ven had sat back down slowly. He would let his brother and the new kid figure it out.

And if the guy hurt him, he'd have Terra beat his ass. Simple as that.

Ven sat in his last class of the day, listening to Mr. Vexen droning on about molecular bonds, dreading the final bell.

When it finally came, and they were released for the weekend, Ven packed his things slowly. He had half an hour... before Vanitas was home.

…...

chapter one complete! Any questions?

Send me some reviews guys, cause I need some love!


	3. Chapter 2 Embers Burning Dimly

Chapter 2- Embers Burning Dimly

AN- oh god, this opening scene... it was painful for me to write. I'm just not a smut writer. Especially not like this...

well, here it is! Chapter three! Thanks for your patience, guys, and for the favorites and reviews!

Warnings- - Yeah... its getting a little graphic here, kiddies. Rated M for good reason. In American movie ratings, this isn't rated R... this is bordering on NC17. don't say I didn't warn you...

Disclaimers- things I own- a ten year old desktop computer, too many empty Monster cans, the plot of this story. Things I don't own- Roxas, Ven, and any other characters here. They belong to the people of Squareenix. The lucky buggers.

…...

Ventus unlocked the front door of his house at 3:15. Larxene's car was gone, so at least he didn't have to worry about her. He went up the stairs to his room, dropping off his things. He sat on his bed for a moment, with his face in his hands.

Vanitas would be home in fifteen minutes.

And if Ven wasn't in his room... it would be bad.

He pushed his fingers through his hair, and stood, heading down the hall to Vanitas' bedroom. The room was like a cave, with black walls and deep red bedding. the windows were covered in thick deep red curtains, giving the room an eerie red glow. On the whole, it was a dim dark, gloomy place, and Ventus hated it.

He doubted he would have hated it as much if it wasn't for all that had happened here.

Ventus perched on the edge of the bed and waited. At exactly 3:32, Vanitas opened the door.

"I'm late. I apologize. Traffic was slow." he said smoothly.

Ven nodded. It was always like this. Vanitas always acted as if they were friends. As if the blonde had any sort of say in what was happening. But nothing could be further from the truth.

Vanitas sat beside him, taking off his leather boots. "I thought about you all day, you know."

_Funny, I can say the same. But I can guarantee we weren't thinking the same thing..._

"What about you, Ventus? How was your day?" he asked, placing his hands on the blondes shoulders, rubbing gently.

"Boring."

Vanitas dug a thumb painfully into Ven's neck. "Now, now, don't be like this, Ventus. You know I don't like it. Tell me, what happened today?"

Ven bit his lip to keep from groaning. "We...um... we got some new kids..." he said in a low voice.

Vanitas resumed leisurely rubbing Ven's shoulders. "that's nice. Are any of them cute?" he asked in a teasing voice.

"I... I guess..."

For a moment, there was silence. Then Vanitas cleared his throat.

"Well, well, Ventus, if you're going to be disagreeable like this, I suppose I'll just have to be disagreeable back, wont I?" he whispered into Ven's ear.

"I-I I'm not trying to be disagreeable, I just- I just don't know what to-" Ven began to stutter. He knew what was coming. He didn't look forward to it. He just _really_ wasn't up to carrying on pleasant conversation today.

Vanitas let go of Ven's shoulders, reaching around and grabbing him by the chin, wrenching his neck at a painful angle so that he could look him in the eyes. "too late, Ventus, love. I gave you your warning. Now we do this the less pleasant way..." he smirked and then mashed his lips against the blondes.

Ven let it happen. The last time he had resisted, it had ended... painfully on his part. So he let Vanitas kiss him, let him force his tongue in his mouth, let him explore to his hearts content, because he was too scared to fight it.

Vanitas pulled away for a moment, pulling him further onto the bed. He pulled the blondes shirt over his head, running his hands down Ven's chest. "beautiful..." he murmured. Then Vanitas' mouth was on his neck, his hands were exploring his sides. Ven lay there, trying not to react. But when the golden-eyed boy began to suck on his throat, Ventus let out a low moan.

Vanitas pulled away long enough to whisper "there we are..." against Ven's skin, and then he went back, tasting him, touching him, making him writhe.

Ven hated every moment of this.

He hated himself for enjoying it even more.

…...

"Well, I'm very glad to know that Roxas wont be having to run lights and sound by himself anymore!" Miss Heartilly said enthusiastically. "its so good to have you a part of our group, Axel!"

the red-haired boy grinned and jabbered away with Miss Heartilly. Roxas was happy enough, because it meant he didn't have to try and be friendly. Roxas had a hard enough time speaking his mind when he wanted to, let alone when he was just trying to make polite conversation.

"well, I'll see you boys later. I'm glad we got so much accomplished today!" the teacher said, waving as she walked away. Roxas picked his bookbag up and headed towards the front doors.

"hey Roxas!" Axel called. Roxas paused in his steps.

"you, um, want a ride home?" the redhead asked.

Roxas was surprised. Even though a few of his friends had cars of their own, nobody ever offered to actually give him a ride.

He suspected they were scared of Vanitas. He had heard them mention him before, closely followed by the words 'creep' and 'freak..'

Roxas blinked for a second. He wanted to accept... but if he took the ride, he'd be home that much faster. And he liked to avoid the place when he could.

"no... no thanks." Roxas said quietly.

Axel looked a little crestfallen. "well, okay... I guess I'll see you later? Tomorrow?"

Roxas gave him a small smile. "yeah..." he said, nodding.

Axel grinned and walked off, his long legs taking great strides toward the side exit of the school.

_He's so odd...Roxas_ thought as he left the school building. _But he really is very nice..._

As his feet carried him slowly to his house, though, his good mood fell away, replaced with feelings of dread.

The feeling compounded when he got to the driveway, and saw both Larxene's and Vanitas' cars in the drive, as well as an unfamiliar car.

_This is going to be a bad night... _

Roxas opened the door quietly, hoping to draw as little attention to himself as possible.

But of course, luck was not on his side.

Larxene emerged from the living room at the same time Roxas was shutting the front door.

"You!" she growled. It was obvious she was already on her way to sloshed, at five o clock in the evening. "'bout time you showed your pansy ass around here. I got shit for you to do."

Roxas said nothing, waiting. He knew if he blatantly ignored her, she'd hit him. But if he let her go off, maybe he could avoid a slap...

"Hey you! Fuckin' mute bastard! Look at me when I'm talking to you!" she screeched. _She's taken something, as well... its more than alcohol tonight..._

Her manicured nails dug into his cheeks. "so where were you, you little bastard? Why weren't you home right after school, huh?" she demanded.

Roxas panicked. He couldn't tell her about the thespians club, or she would refuse to let him go. "I... I was...seeing a teacher..." he stuttered.

"ah, got your stupid ass in trouble, did you? What did you do, huh?" she demanded.

"he wasn't in trouble, Larxene. He stayed after for some help on an assignment. I would have told you, but I was... busy and didn't realize you were home." Ventus stood at the top of the stairs, his hair mussed, his clothes rumpled. Roxas was relieved.

"oh really..." Larxene glared for a second, but then tossed Roxas away from her. He slammed into the front door. It hurt like a bitch, but he said nothing. "don't let it happen again. And clean the fucking kitchen. Its disgusting." she snarled. She stalked back into the living room.

Ventus came down the stairs, helping Roxas, wincing, to his feet. "go upstairs, rox, and relax. I'll clean the kitchen."

Roxas shook his head. "If she see's you doing it and not me, she'll have a fit."

Ventus snorted derisively. "she's so fucked up at this point, that as long as I don't say anything, she wont even know the difference."

Roxas was still unsure, though.

"look, if your that worried, lets trade shirts, okay?

Roxas gave his twin a strained smile. "thanks, Ven." he said quietly.

Ven patted him gingerly on the shoulder. "anytime, bro." they walked up the stairs together, Roxas limping, Ven carrying his backpack. They stepped into Roxas' room, and Ven dropped the backpack on Roxas' desk. Then he pulled his shirt over his head, Roxas doing the same. They exchanged, and then Roxas all but collapsed into his desk chair, wincing.

Ven looked at his brother in sympathy. "you should go hop in the shower, rox. Just take it easy, and don't worry about your homework tonight. You have all weekend."

_I must look like shit._ Roxas thought. _Otherwise, Ven wouldn't be telling me to hold off on homework..._

without looking up at his twin, Roxas sighed and replied "yeah, I'll probably do that. Thanks again."

Ven nodded again and headed out of the room. After a moment, Roxas forced himself to stand up again, and trudged over to the bathroom. And stared at the bruises in his reflection. He had a defined hand-print on his cheek, and little half-moon marks from her nails decorated his cheekbones, little trails of blood falling from them.

_Thank god its the weekend. at least I don't have to explain this away for a few days..._

Roxas showered and got into his pajamas, lowering himself slowly into his bed. As he drifted off to sleep, one last thought crossed his mind.

_190 days left..._

_ …..._

well, there it is. Chapter four is in the works.

Send me some reviews, guys! They're the M&M's to my popcorn!


	4. Chapter 3 A Flickering Light

Chapter 4: A Flickering Light

AN: I wish I had the time to actually post you guys a one-shot for AkuRoku day like I wanted to. But I just work too damn much. At least, I can give you an update on this, though! Happy AkuRoku day, y'all! (belated, cause its, like, five am of the 14th... oh well. Its the thought that counts.) I'm sorry if its shitty, I'm tired, but I wanted to get this posted. Random time jump is random.

Warnings- not too much for this chapter. Mostly nosy Axel and angry Roxas. And Axel background.

Disclaimers- Things I Own: Half a carton of shitty reservation cigarettes, a new pair of leather high-tops, retarded amounts of Hello Kitty paraphernalia. Things I Don't Own: Any damn thing about this story at all except the plot itself (and even that is a little recycled.)

_…..._

The weekend passed uneventfully, mostly because Larxene was out with her new boy toy (who looked to be about Clouds age) and Vanitas was out of town for work.

But when Monday came, and Roxas looked in the mirror, he realized he had a problem.

The bruises had mostly yellowed, and they were easy enough to explain, anyways. But the half-moon marks... it was obvious what had caused them. And they were still very present on his skin.

Roxas stood in the bathroom, staring at his mirror and panicking. Simply skipping school wasn't an option. If he missed his exam today, he'd flunk Chemistry for sure. Vexen didn't fuck around. But he couldn't go to school looking like this, either. People would question for sure.

Ven came to his rescue. He tossed a small bottle to his twin, which, Roxas realized, was concealer. "try this. It should cover them enough that no one will notice unless they're super close to your face." he then walked out of the bathroom.

It wasn't until later that it occurred to Roxas to ask _why _Ventus had concealer in the first place. But it quickly became a useful tool. As the days passed, Larxene only got more and more foul-tempered. And it became harder and harder to find excuses for his bruises. Covering them up was so much easier.

_…..._

It wasn't until a month or so later that anyone noticed anything.

Since it was a warm April day, and the snow was finally all gone, the majority of students had decided to go eat out on the Quad. Roxas found his friends sitting at one of the concrete picnic tables, but it was full. So he sat down under a tree nearby, and began pulling apart his bagel.

"So, Roxy, how ya doing?"

The blonde jumped a little at the sound of Axel's voice to close to his ear. He looked up to see the redhead was curled around the tree, leaning down to speak to him. Axel grinned broadly as he came around to sit beside him.

"I, um, I'm fine. How are you, Axel?" Roxas said quietly. He two of them had been spending a lot of time together lately, getting ready for the spring show in three weeks. Roxas had gotten to the point where he could talk around the redhead, which was surprising, since it had taken months for him to open up around any of his other friends.

Axel just seemed to have that effect on him.

Axel, looking at the blonde, suddenly narrowed his eyes. "I'm great... but, is that concealer you're wearing? What are you hiding, Rox?"

Roxas turned very pale and immediately stood up, all but running back into the school building

_…..._

Roxas was walking fast down the corridor when Axel finally caught up.

_Goddammit, why do I have to open my mouth? _Axel cursed at himself.

"Roxas, wait!" he called. "I'm sorry, please, just stop!"

The blonde stopped dead so fast Axel almost ran him over. The little blonde glared at him with such ferocity that Axel almost thought he might melt. "What gives you the right?" he hissed. "things were fine until you started asking _questions!_ So just back the hell off! I don't need you getting yourself involved!" Roxas was almost shouting at this point. "Stay the hell out of my business, Axel!"

The redhead was stunned. That was more words in one go than Axel had heard from him in the month and a half they had known each other.

"I, I'm sorry. I just... I don't like to see you hurt."

Roxas looked away. "why do you have to ask so many questions, Axel?" he asked softly, anger gone as quickly as it had come.

Axel snorted. "You ever stop to think that maybe I give a shit about you?"

Roxas looked straight at him now. "So do Olette and Nami and the others. But they don't question me when I make my excuses. Why do you?"

Axel bit his lip. "Roxas, I..."

At that moment, the bell rang, signaling the end of lunch. "Look, we'll talk later, okay? After school?" Axel said quickly, grateful for the chance to think about his respnse. Roxas nodded and headed back the way they had come, heading to class.

Axel was left standing there, completely unsure of himself. How do you tell the guy that doesn't think he can trust anyone that you are falling for him?

Axel knew Roxas was being abused. He knew all the signs. He'd spent enough time with Zexion and Xion to have figured it out.

Axel, Lumaria, Zexion and Xion had all been adopted by the same parents, and had all come from pretty shitty backgrounds. Axel's mother had been a crackhead prostitute, and to this day Axel had no idea who his father was. Zexion and Xion were siblings, and they're father had beat on them pretty regularly. And Lumaria, born a boy named Marluxia, her parents hated her being a tranny so much they had kicked her to the streets at age twelve.

Axel knew that there was abuse in Roxas' life, but he couldn't report without knowing more of the situation. That could cause even more trouble for him.

But Axel was scared as hell to say any of this to Roxas. Scared to drive him away.

Because the only thing on Axel's mind was getting closer to the blonde that drew him so.

_…..._

yeah... shitty short chapter is shitty. and short. But next chapter will be better. I promise.

Now I need to go to bed, because since I am stuck working on my b-day friday, I am celebrating early tomorrow. Gnight, y'all!

Or, yanno, good morning. Whateves.


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